It is Koskinen's first appearance before the House tax-writing panel. He will be the only witness. The last time he was on Capitol Hill it was on the Senate side for his confirmation hearings.

Click image for C-SPAN tape of Koskinen's confirmation hearing.

In announcing the hearing, subcommittee chairman Rep. Charles W. Boustany Jr. (R-La.) noted that Koskinen will be asked about the ongoing investigation into the Exempt Organizations Unit's targeting of groups seeking 501(c)(4) nonprofit status based on political leanings, proposed regulations for such social welfare groups, the backlog of nonprofit applications for tax-exempt status, the Affordable Care Act and improper payments for tax credits.

Bonuses are back: Since the hearing was scheduled, however, there's been another politically controversial development.

Koskinen and the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) reached an agreement that will partially reinstate the IRS' bonus program to union employees. The tax agency will pay reduced awards to union employees who earned performance awards last year. In exchange, the NTEU won't pursue litigation.

Almost $98 million in employee bonuses -- $76 million for union workers; $19.3 million for nonunion workers, including managers; and $2.5 million for executives -- were canceled by then Acting IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel. The move was made to save enough money to keep IRS workers at their desks instead of furloughing them during last year's sequester.

NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley said the smaller award payouts are not ideal, but that smaller bonuses now were preferable to waiting for completion of legal proceedings.

"Payment of these earned awards to employees is in important step in recognizing their valuable contributions to the IRS and the nation," Kelley added.

Koskinen agreed. "This is money best spent on our existing employees," he said. "I firmly believe that this investment in our employees will directly benefit taxpayers and the tax system."

Unhappy lawmakers: Many on Capitol Hill do not share those sentiments.

The agency's bonus system came under fire in the early stages of Congressional investigation into the 501(c)(4) matter. Many Representatives and Senators were particularly irked that Lois Lerner, the former head of the IRS' tax-exempt division, might receive a bonus. Lerner refused to testify before a House Oversight and Government Operations Committee, was placed on paid leave and subsequently retired from the IRS.

When the IRS-NTEU bonus deal was announced, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) issued his own statement denouncing reinstatement of the bonuses.

"It's hard to think of a group of people less deserving of bonuses than IRS employees," said the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee. "Frankly, this is outrageous. I understand that not every IRS worker was responsible, but this just is the wrong signal to send the American people who were rightly outraged by how this agency treated people for their political views."

While it's Hatch's tax-writing counterparts in the House who will be questioning Koskinen today, Hatch vowed to discuss "this matter with IRS Commissioner Koskinen, especially since his predecessor rightly took the step of cancelling these bonuses."

If you want to watch the political fireworks over IRS bonuses and other issues, the hearing will begin at 9 a.m. Eastern time. Check the Ways and Means website for streaming of the session, as well as C-SPAN, which has the hearing on its program schedule.

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Weekly Tax Tip

10 tax moves to make by Dec. 31 — December's arrival means that it's time to make some year-end tax moves. This year, several traditional tax-saving steps take on new urgency since they could soon be gone under tax reform legislation nearing enactment. (Dec. 6, 2017)

Check out all the latest post-April 18 tax advice in the 2017 edition of Weekly Tax Tips. Since we've all finally filed our 2016 taxes, most of these tips now will focus on moves to cut your 2017 tax bill. If, however, you're looking to amend an old return or just want more tax tidbits, feel free to peruse this year's Daily Tax Tips at their respective filing season monthly pages: January, February, March and April.

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Tax Year 2017 CountdownIt's over! The final 2016 tax year extended filing deadline has passed. Now it's time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2017 tax bill. Most of them must be made by Dec. 31, or for some transactions by the last business day of the year, which is Friday, Dec. 29, since the 31st is on a Sunday. This countdown clock will make sure you don't miss these crucial tax deadlines. Note: I'm in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.

Time for Tax Tasks

Ho, Ho, Ho! You better watch out. You better not cry over taxes. Santa's watching you and all the tax moves you make in December.

Click image to watchSanta's delivery route.

OK, maybe Santa doesn't really care about your taxes, but he does know if you're naughty or nice, so you'd better be nice, especially when it comes to taxes! So let's get to some tax moves to make this December that will keep you on the good list kept by both Santa and the Internal Revenue Service.

Dec. 1: The last month of the tax year starts with a bit of tax uncertainty, but not about 2017 tax laws. Instead, we're waiting to see what type of tax cuts and/or tax reform Congress might approve (or not). While any changes will predominantly affect the coming 2018 tax years, some of the new laws could have an impact on what we need to do by Dec. 31. So with just 31 days to go, let's get started on making some tax-reform influenced year-end tax moves.

Dec. 5: Did you get a part-time job to earn extra cash for the holidays? If you're paid as a contractor instead of as an employee, remember that you'll be responsible for income taxes due on the money, as well as any self-employment taxes. The same tax considerations also apply if you're part of gig economy, but you'll also want to check out ways to maximize your side hustle earnings.

Dec. 15: Have you been riding the still-climbing stock market roller coaster this year? Then you probably/should have some capital gains you can take. The tax rate for long-term holdings is lower than your ordinary income tax rate, but you can reduce or possibly zero out any tax if you also had some stock losses. You also might want to sell profitable holdings in order to reset your basis.

Dec. 19: Education tax breaks might change under tax reform, so consider paying tuition now for 2018 classes that will start in the first quarter of next year. That way you'll be able to use those costs to claim the American Opportunity Tax Credit.

Dec. 22: It's the last weekend before Christmas! That means holiday treats, final decorations and frantic last-minute shopping! If you decide to go big this holiday, a major purchase like a car, boat or airplane (and more) could mean added sales tax you might be able to deduct as an itemized expense. I'm not trying to push you to a dealership, but the House and Senate tax bills are calling for elimination of the state and local income and sales tax deductions, so this might be the last year you can claim this tax break.

Dec. 24: Christmas Eve! No taxes tonight. It's early to bed for kiddies of all ages. Santa's on his way!

Dec. 25:Merry Christmas! My gift to you is another day without tax thoughts. Just enjoy the holiday and your family and friends.

Dec. 26: Happy Boxing Day. This unofficial holiday on St. Stephen's Dayis celebrated by additional giving. If you donate to your favorite charity on this day or by the end of the year, you can claim the itemized deduction when you file your return next spring … as long as you follow the donation tax rules.

Dec. 31: This is it. The drop-dead deadline to make most 2017 tax moves. So do a quick check.

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AKA Disclaimer:

I am a professional journalist who has been covering tax issues since 1999. I am not a professional tax preparer. The content on Don't Mess With Taxes is my personal opinion based on my study and understanding of tax laws, policies and regulations. It is provided for your private, noncommercial, educational and informational purposes only. It is not a recommendation of any specific tax action(s) you should or should not take. Similarly, mentions of products or services are not endorsements. In other words, my ramblings on the ol' blog are free advice and you know what they say about getting what you pay for. That's why when it comes to filing your taxes, I urge you to get additional, professional, paid-for guidance from an accountant, Enrolled Agent or other qualified tax preparer who is familiar with your individual tax circumstances.